Address:	St. Francis of Assisi Church, ATP Colony, Anpara P.O, Sonebhadra Dt - 231225
Telephone:	05446-273358
Parish Priest:	Rev. Fr. Jacob Bona D’Souza
Religious:	Canossian Daughters of Charity (FDCC)

A Brief History

Uttar Pradesh State Electricity Board (UPSEB), now known as Uttar Pradesh Rajya Vidyut Utpadan Nigam Limited (UPRVUNL) had erected a new Thermal Power project in Anpara, with Japanese collaboration in the neighborhood of the Renusagar Power Station of Hindalco. Renusagar was already a visiting station for the Priest from Renukoot, with some floating catholic families. The UPSEB organization approached the Diocese of Allahabad through Rev. Fr. Eric Pinto, who was then the Parish Priest of Renukoot to begin an English Medium school, affiliated to CBSE Board, to cater to the educational needs of the wards of UPSEB employees. So, UPSEB made an agreement with the diocese of Allahabad to provide a rent free school building and a church to take care of the spiritual needs of the catholic population living in Anpara, Renusagar, Beena and other nearby villages and also for a convent to help out in the school as well in the parish activities. Villages around this place were already visited by Rev. Fr. Bader and his religious brothers when they visited Singrauli (present Shaktinagar). On account of the Rihand Dam all the villages were submerged and people were shifted and this is how they settled around Anpara.

When Diocese agreed to open the School, four rooms on the road side near Auri Morh were given by the plant, for the mission to start the School in 1981. Rev. Fr. Scaria was the first Priest to stay there till the School building was ready at Anpara in the township of the Power House. The present church building was provided to us in the year 1995 with the help of Engineer S. P. Singh, the then Chief General Manager of the Plant. Parish has almost 550 floating Catholics in 120 families from Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Mangalore, Jharkhand and some local Catholics. They live at Bina, Kakhri, Rehta, Renusagar, ATP colony and also in Lal tower Dera & Alexander Dera. Canossian sisters are also rendering their services in the parish.

Presently parish is divided in to four zones; viz., Anpara Zone, Beena Zone, Renusagar, Kakhri & Rehta Zone, & Lal Tower Zone.

People are mainly working in Northern Coal mines, Hindalco Power Plant, and also in Uttar Pradesh State Electricity Board. Most of them work as daily laborers in the plant. Though ours is a floating community, people are very active, co-operative and God fearing parish community. They take keen interest in all the church activities. Hence we feel very happy to give our best to bring up our parish family.

Parish Priests

Name of the Priest	Tenure
Fr. Scaria	19/08/1981 to 30/4/1984
Fr. Mark D’Souza	01/05/1984 to 30/6/1990
Fr. John Lobo	01/07/1990 to 30/9/2001
Fr. William Mathias	01/10/2001 to 30/6/2007
Fr. Michael D’Souza	01/07/2007 to 28/1/2008
Fr. Vincent Pereira	(Caretaker after the demise of Fr. Michael)
Fr. Jacob Bona D’Souza	01/04/2008 to To date

Parish Council

PARISH COUNCIL MEMBERS

Fr. Jacob B. D’Souza	President
Mr. V. V. Joseph	Vice President
Mrs. Philomena Jose	Secretary
Mr. Praful Tirkey	Treasurer

MEMBERS

1. Mr. Joseph Surin
2. Mr. Varghese Koshy
3. Mrs. Lissie Jose
4. Mr. Remis Dung Dung
5. Mr. Agustus Barla
6. Mrs. Anna Kandulna
7. Mr. Habil Kujur
8. Mr. Nirmal Kujur
9. Mr. Haleem Tirkey
10. Mrs. Agapith Tigga
11. Mrs. Bibiani Lakra
12. Mr. Nelson Gomes
13. Mr. Dheeraj Toppo
14. Sr. Veronica Dabreo – Superior
15. Gracy Mary – Youth representative
16. Richard Ellis – Youth representative

Youth Movement

Indian Catholic Youth Movement, Anpara Unit
Prashant Dung Dung, Rohit Tirkey, Koshy Varghese, Kiran Purty, Richard Ellis, Prakash Topno, Mukesh Tigga, Elizabeth Purty, Gracy Mary, Stella Mary, Esther Mary, Neslon Ellis, Jyoti Prakash, Rakesh Indwar, Mukesh Indwar, Reena Barla, Jyoti Barla, Meena Barla, Jessy Rani, Meena Baghe, Shiny Tirkey, Emrencia Xaxa, Vikas Tirkey, Matilda Tete, David Dung Dung, Sijo Jacob, Mukti Bela, Alka Dung Dung, Monica Surin and Sushil

Associations

Altar Servers
Kosy Varghese, Israel Tete, Nirmal Varghese, Asha Soreng, Pawan Kullu, Proshna Rose, Kiran Purty, Sushma Kullu, Philip Barla, Savita Purty, Sheena Jacob, Rony Patrick, Josephine Patrick

Parish Activities

Sunday Liturgy: Sunday Liturgy is made very lively with the involvement of youth and children, who take an active part. Every family is given a chance to come forward and take part in the offertory procession. Since we have a good number of catholic nurses who are working in NCL hospital even on Sundays, to take care of their spiritual needs, we celebrate Sunday Mass on Every Saturday at 6.30 p.m. in Beena.

Sunday Catechism: We have regular catechism classes on every Sunday. Children are divided into five groups. Four sisters and one lay person teach catechism to the children. We also conduct the catechism examinations to the children and award them with a prize each in the month of April every year.

Family Visits: Parish priest along with two sisters go for family visits on every Monday and Thursday from 6.00 to 9.00 p.m. Family visits are an occasion for us to know the details of the family, especially their problems, to catechize them and also to pray with them.

Family Prayer Meetings: We conduct prayer services during Lent and Advent season in the families. All the families of an area gather in one particular family and they are given a chance to share their problems, anxieties and also their reflections based on the Gospel passage.

Singing Practice: It is said-one who sings prays twice. Every Saturday, we have one hour singing practice to select appropriate hymns for the liturgy & also to give proper practices to the readers and acolytes. Our melodious singing of the parish choir helps us to make our liturgy more lively, prayerful and participative.

Meetings: Regular meetings of Parish council members is conducted to discuss and plan out about the activities in the parish. Time to time youth group and altar servers are called for meetings and a kind of orientation is given to them about their participation in the liturgy.
Other than the above mentioned activities, we have one hour of adoration on every first Sunday of the month. It is prepared and conducted by the parish youth and children. For Bible Festival we have 100% participation. We conduct competitions in the parish level and then the selected entries are sent to the zonal level participation. Our youth take part in all the programmes organized in the zone as well as in the diocese. We have special liturgy prepared for special occasions like: Holy childhood day, Teachers day, mothers’ day, fathers’ day, nurses’ day. Every year before Easter and Christmas, we have a reconciliation service with confessions for the parishioners, where all the parishioners take part. We also have triduum every year before we celebrate the feast of our patron Saint St. Francis of Assisi in the month of October. The Parish Priest makes the sacrament of confession available to the people every Sunday before the Mass.